Fig. 1

Weighted age-stratified analysis of classification of foods as a percentage of servings based on the 2014 Health Canada Surveillance Tool Tier system^a,b among Canadian population of Boys and Girls ages 2 to 8 years.

^aEnergy adjusted

^bTiers are based on Health Canada’s Surveillance Tool [19] and defined generally as follows: Tier 1–3 foods are compliant with EWCFG and Tier 4 foods are not recommended by the EWCFG. Tier 1 are foods that do not exceed lower thresholds for total fat, sugars, and sodium; Tier 2 foods do not exceed up to 2 lower thresholds for total fat, sugars or sodium, without exceeding any upper thresholds; for the Vegetables and Fruit and Grain Products food groups Tier 3 are foods that exceed all 3 lower thresholds without exceeding any upper thresholds or exceed only one upper threshold, while Tier 4 foods exceed at least 2 upper thresholds for total fat, saturated fat, sugars, or sodium. Within the Milk and Alternatives and Meat and Alternatives food groups, Tier 3 foods exceed all 3 lower thresholds without exceeding any upper thresholds for total fat, sugars, or sodium (irrespective of saturated fat) or exceed only one of these 3 thresholds or foods that only exceed the upper saturated fat threshold; within these 2 food groups foods that exceed at least 2 upper thresholds for total fat, sugars, or sodium were classified as Tier 4. Where lower thresholds entail: total fat ≤3 g/RA, sugars ≤6 g/RA, and sodium ≤140 mg/RA; and upper thresholds are: total fat >10 g/RA, sugars >19 g/RA, sodium >360 mg/RA, and saturated fat >2 g/RA